Electronic personal interactive device

Abstract

An interface device and method of use, comprising audio and image inputs; a processor for determining topics of interest, and receiving information of interest to the user from a remote resource; an audio-visual output for presenting an anthropomorphic object conveying the received information, having a selectively defined and adaptively alterable mood; an external communication device adapted to remotely communicate at least a voice conversation with a human user of the personal interface device. Also provided is a system and method adapted to receive logic for, synthesize, and engage in conversation dependent on received conversational logic and a personality.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic system, comprising:
 a network communication port configured to communicate with a communication network;   a memory configured to store topics of interest to a user;   an external interface, configured to transmit a series of search requests to at least one of an external automated search engine and an external automated social network system, and to receive responses through the network communication port;   a conversational agent configured to:
 interact with the user according to a natural language conversation dependent on the stored topics of interest and the received responses; 
 define the series of search requests; and 
 update the memory to maintain current topics of interest to the user dependent on user feedback obtained during the natural language conversation; and 
   a user interface directed by the conversational agent.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a microphone, a speaker, a display, and a camera. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the topics of interest comprise identified persons;   the conversational agent is configured to communicate the identified persons to the external automated social network system; and   the received responses comprise social network records relating to the identified persons.   
     
     
         4 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the topics of interest comprise current events;   the conversational agent is configured to communicate characteristics of the current events to the external automated search engine; and   the received responses comprise news reports relating to the current events.   
     
     
         5 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the user interface comprises an audiovisual interface;   the conversational agent is further configured to determine an emotional state of the user based on interactions with the user through the audiovisual interface; and   the conversational agent is further configured to selectively react to the emotional state of the user.   
     
     
         6 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the conversational agent is further configured to determine an emotional state of the user; and   the series of requests are selectively dependent on the determined emotional state of the user.   
     
     
         7 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the conversational agent is further configured to determine a current emotional state of the user and a desired emotional state of the user;   the natural language conversation is dependent on the stored topics of interest, the received responses, the determined current emotional state of the user, and the determined desired emotional state of the user.   
     
     
         8 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to:
 store a status of conversational elements at an end of a conversation in the memory;   update the conversational elements at the end of the conversation by transmitting search requests; and   introducing the updated conversational elements in the natural language conversation.   
     
     
         9 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the conversational agent is implemented using an artificial neural network. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to determine an emergency state of the user, and to automatically contact emergency assistance services in event of the determined emergency state of the user. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic system according to  claim 10 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to control the user interface to selectively communicate at least one of audio and visual information to the emergency assistance services. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic system according to  claim 10 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to determine a mood of the user based on implicit information in audio input received through the user interface. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic system according to  claim 10 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to mine data from the at least one of the external automated search engine and the external automated social network system based on learned relevance of information within the topics of interest from prior interaction with the user. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic system according to  claim 10 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to initiate a conversation with the user. 
     
     
         15 . An interactive conversational system, comprising:
 a network communication port;   a memory configured to store topics of interest to a user;   a database interface, configured to transmit search requests to an automated database system, and to receive responses, through the network communication port;   a conversational agent configured to define the search requests and to interact with the user in a natural language conversation dependent on the stored topics of interest and the received responses;   a conversation continuity agent configured to update the memory to maintain current topics of interest to the user dependent on user feedback obtained during the natural language conversation; and   a user interface directed by the conversational agent.   
     
     
         16 . The interactive conversational system according to  claim 15 , wherein the automated database system comprises an Internet search engine comprising knowledge records. 
     
     
         17 . The interactive conversational system according to  claim 15 , wherein the automated database system comprises an Internet social network system comprising human relationship records. 
     
     
         18 . The interactive conversational system according to  claim 15 , wherein:
 the user interface comprises an audiovisual interface;   the conversational agent is further configured to determine an emotional state of the user based on implicit interactions with the user through the audiovisual interface; and   the conversational agent is further configured to select topics of conversation based on the emotional state of the user.   
     
     
         19 . The interactive conversational system according to  claim 15 , wherein the conversational agent is further configured to:
 store a status of conversational elements at an end of a conversation in the memory;   update the conversational elements at the end of the conversation by transmitting search requests; and   introducing the updated conversational elements into the natural language conversation.   
     
     
         20 . An interactive conversational method, comprising:
 storing topics of interest to a user in a memory;   transmitting search requests to an automated database system selected from the group consisting of an Internet search engine, a new search engine, and a social network database search engine, through an automated communication network;   receiving responses to the transmitted search requests through the automated communication network;   defining the search requests based on conversational natural language communications with a user through a user interface device, the topics of interest to the user, and the received responses;   updating the memory to maintain current topics of interest to the user dependent on user feedback obtained during the conversational natural language communications; and   conducting the conversational natural language communications with the user with an automated conversational agent according to the topics of interest to the user, the received responses, natural language user inputs, and a user context, with an automated conversational agent.